My Everything
by xxAugustaxx
Summary: Story takes place some time after episode 11, "Just Say No." A complication in Amy's pregnancy arises, forcing both Ricky and Amy to reevaluate things they had been avoiding the past seven months.
1. Chapter 1

**My Everything**

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! So I was hit with the idea to write this fic and decided to run with it. I'm kind of excited about this story actually. This is a Ricky/Amy fic, if you're a fan of Ricky/Grace or Amy/Ben, this is not the story for you. They ARE in it, but since I'm a fan of Ricky and Amy together, I don't plan on keeping it that way for long… if ya know what I mean ;)

**Disclaimer:** Because it's so likely that I'm Brenda Hampton or an other person on the ABC Family team who has time on their hands to write a fic and post it online. *rolls eyes*No I do not own any of the characters or rights to anything relating to the television show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Moving on…

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**Chapter 1**

"You okay?" Anne Juergens asked from behind the stove, watching her eldest daughter scrunch her face up in discomfort before taking a seat at the table.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Amy said quickly, waving off her mother's concern. Ever since she had broken down and told her mother her secret, that she was pregnant, she had become even more worried and quick to notice even the smallest expression or action Amy made than normal. She was already getting annoyed with it, she wasn't sure if she could handle her mother's over-concern for her and her baby for the remaining three months. She looked back over at her mother, who stood in front of the stove, spatula midway in the air and a worried expression still on her face. "I'm fine, really. I'm just having some back issues this morning. I'm sure I just slept wrong."

She swirled the spatula back and fourth in her grip as she bit her lower lip. "Okay… but if it bothers you anymore today, you might want to ask Doctor Stevens just in case." She flipped a pancake over in the pan. "I'm sure it's just your body changing and making room for the baby to grow."

Just then, Ashley walked in. "You mean she's going to get bigger than she already is?" Amy shot her a look as she sat back in the chair and rested her hand on the swell under her shirt that grew more with each passing day.

"Ashley…" Anne warned, grabbing two plates of pancakes from the counter and headed towards the table. She placed one in front of each of he girls before returning to the kitchen counter to grab her own plate.

"I'm just glad it's not me," she said, getting the last word in before picking up her fork and beginning on the stack of golden brown pancakes. Amy shot her sister another look from across the table before beginning on her own breakfast.

"This is nice," Anne said smiling. "We're all sitting down and having a nice breakfast together instead of rushing out the door. It's a nice change of pace, don't you guys think?"

"I think it would be better if dad was here," Ashley said, pointing out the obvious absence of their father, bringing an instant and uncomfortable silence to the table.

"Well he's not here right now, so we'll just have to make due," Anne said after a few moments.

"Will he be here to eat dinner with us tonight?" Ashley asked.

Anne looked up, glancing over at Amy then over to Ashley. "Let's just eat breakfast, okay?" Ashley sighed loudly, mumbling something under her breath before picking at her food. Only the sound of silverware clinking against the plates filled the quiet house as the three of them ate in silence.

"Oh! Ben's got a dentist appointment so I'm going to need a ride to school after all," Amy said a few moments later, bringing an end to the silence. Anne nodded, looking down at her watch quickly to be sure they were still on schedule.

"Speaking of appointments… don't forget you have one coming up," Anne reminded her as she stood up from the table and carried her plate to the sink.

"When?" Amy asked curiously.

"Thee ah…" she turned around to look at the calendar on the fridge. "This coming Friday actually. At twelve-thirty, so I'll have to write you a note so you can be excused to go."

"What, you get to miss school?! That's unfair. Maybe I should get pregnant so I can get excused from classes," Ashley said.

"Don't even joke about that, Ashley," Anne said.

"I'm kidding!" she said, a mischievous grin on her face. "God, I'm not *that* stupid."

"What and _I'm_ stupid?" Amy snapped.

"Well you gotta admit, this wasn't one of the smarter things you've done…" Amy's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth, ready to say something back when Anne stepped in.

"Okay okay!" She held her hand up in front of her. "Ashley, why don't you run upstairs and finish getting ready. It's almost time for us to leave anyway."

Ashley got up from the table, plate in hand. "Jeez, can't anyone take a joke around here?" she muttered as she put her plate in the sink and disappeared out of the room.

Amy remained at the table, finishing the last few bits she had left while Anne leaned against the counter and sipped the rest of her coffee. "Y'know Amy, this appointment is an ultrasound one, if I remember correctly. Do you think he might like to come?"

"Who? Ben? Sure, I guess. I mean, I'm sure he'd like to come see." She took a sip of milk.

"No Amy, I didn't… I wasn't talking about Ben," she clarified. "I was talking about Ricky."

"Ricky? Oh." Amy said, uncertainty in her voice. She pushed the chair back and stood up, carrying her plate to the sink. "I-I don't think he'd want to come, mom."

"I'm sure he would. And anyway, it wouldn't hurt to ask him just in case," Anne said.

"Why do you all of a sudden care of if Ricky is involved or not?" Amy asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood in front of her mother.

"I've always cared, Amy. I was the one who told you, you needed to talk to him when he came by that time, remember? He may not be the nicest guy or the most reliable but he's the father of your baby. I think you need to give him a chance here," Anne said. "Look, Ben's a nice guy. I like Ben. But this isn't his baby. You and Ricky… you guys are going to need to figure some stuff out sooner or later. The baby will be here before you know it and it's up to you guys what you want to do when that time comes."

Amy ran her hand through her hair and sighed. She was right, of coarse. Amy needed to stop freezing Ricky out of her life; whether she liked it or not, he was the guy who had gotten her into this situation. The baby was just as much his as it was her, something she sometimes forgot about. Besides… it wasn't his fault why he acted the way he acted…

Amy thought back to the information she had looked up both with Ben and some on her own about sexual abuse in children. She had tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind, nagging at her to give Ricky another chance in light of the new information she had but a big part of her wasn't sure if she could take that big of a chance and trust him. He hadn't exactly been trustworthy or reliable in the past, what would be different now?

"Amy?" her mother asked. Amy snapped out of her train of thought, unaware she had faded out of the conversation.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I-I guess I can ask him," she said. "If I see him…"

Anne smiled. "You're a good kid, y'know that?" Amy forced a small smile in return. "Ashley! Let's go, we're going to be late!" Anne yelled, looking up at the ceiling.

~*~

With each step she took, Amy felt a stab of discomfort in her back. She had just gotten out of her first class of the day and the pain in her back still hadn't gone away. If this is what the last four months were going to feel like, she wasn't sure if she could handle it.

She exhaled slowly, trying to regain control of the pain throbbing in her lower back as students passed her in the halls. Fortunately the gossip involving her had died down some and she didn't so much feel like people were studying her every time she walked to and from class. Gripping the few books and binders in her arms, Amy reached forward to put them into her locker when a strong pain struck her body. Amy's hands flew to grab her stomach as her legs buckled under her and she fell to the floor.

She faintly heard someone shout her name as her head spun and the pains in her back quickly moved into her stomach. Tears slid down her cheeks as the throbbing pain rolled through her body. "The baby..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Authors Note: **Hi guys! First off, I want to thank you all SO MUCH for all of your reviews! I didn't expect so many people would like this story! It makes me even more proud of it! I wanted to let you guys know I had planned on posting this second chapter earlier in the day, however, to my horror, I went to locate it in my fics folder and it was gone! Long story short, two hours later and a frantic call to my IT guy I called it a loss, sucked it up and had to re-write this chapter (and the other two I had previously finished) over again. On the up side, I do believe this chapter came out 110x better than the other version! Yay! I am REALLY proud of this chapter and I hope you guys like it! Keep the feedback coming ;) and please be patient, I have to re-write the chapters again.

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Feeling as if someone had suddenly muted the usually busy halls of Grant High, Ricky Underwood could only stand in shock as he watched a very pregnant Amy crumble to the floor, dropping the books she had been carrying to the floor beside her. The quiet brunette had caught his attention out of the corner of his eye while he was walking Grace to the stairs that lead to the upper level of the school where her first class of the day was located. Bidding her goodbye, Ricky didn't bother watching her walk up the stairs and disappear as he normally did but instead, stood there and watched Amy approach her locker, balancing a handful of heavy looking books in her hand as she whirled in her locker combination. Ricky had debated whether or not to walk over and offer to help her out, wondering if he was up for another round of rejection from her. Guilt nagged him as he watched her wince and, with her free hand, reach around to her back and began massaging it. If not for him, she wouldn't be looking tired and uncomfortable as she carried his baby inside her along with the normal pile of school material to and from classes. Guilt had won over and he was about to walk over when she collapsed to the floor in front of him.

"Amy!" Without a second thought, Ricky raced from the bottom of the stairs where he stood over to the row of lockers Amy had fallen near, dropping to the floor beside her.

"What is it, what's wrong?" he asked, taking in the sight of her, scanning her for any visible signs of there being a problem. With her legs under her, Amy sat upright, looking down with her arms wrapped around her swollen midsection. She looked up at him, fear and pain visible in her big brown eyes.

"The baby," she said, pain laced in her voice. "Something's wrong with the baby." She let out a yelp of pain as tears began to roll down her face. "It hurts."

Ricky continued to look her up and down, trying to come up with an answer to what was happening to her as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. Unable to see anything visibly wrong with her, Ricky looked around and quickly realized the normally bustling halls were empty; everyone was in the classrooms. Feeling a sense of panic welling up inside him, he called out for help. "We need help! Quick!" Desperate to find someone who could help them, Ricky's gaze darted wildly around the deserted school hallway. A quiet sob brought his attention back to Amy, who had grown paler if that were even possible.

"It's going to be okay," he assured her, although he was trying to convince himself of it at the same time. Amy sat back a little, reaching an arm out to support herself upright while keeping her other hand around her stomach.

"I think I'm loosing the baby," Amy admitted somberly.

The thought had occurred to Ricky, but he had pushed it away, not wanting to think about the possibility. "No it's-it's okay, your going to be fine and so isn't the baby." He looked over his shoulder, wishing for someone to appear and help him. When he was greeting with the same empty, silent hall, Ricky decided to call out again. A moment later, the receptionist in the main office rounded the corner, worry and confusion plain in her express.

"We need an ambulance. I think it's the baby," he explained quickly. It was no secret that Grant High had a pregnant student in its midst, he only hoped the woman remembered and grasped the urgency of the situation quick enough to get them some help. The woman looked past him over to Amy, her expression turning to pure worry before disappearing back in the direction she came from. Ricky turned his attention back to Amy. "It's going to be okay. She's going to get help for us."

Amy looked down once more and with her free hand, reached down to the crotch of her pants. When she lifted her hand back up into view, Ricky watched as her eyes grew even wider with shock. "I'm bleeding," she said, turning her hand to show him. Sure enough, shiny reddish pink blood was smudged on her fingertips. It wasn't deep and thick, but enough to worry Ricky more than he had been before. Shock struck through his body and he felt his face drain of all it's color. He hadn't been around many pregnant women, but he knew enough about them to know they weren't supposed to bleed like that.

Amy began to sob. "I really am loosing the baby." Suddenly feeling numb to everything around him, Ricky just sat there and rubbed her back, looking down so that she wouldn't see the fear he was sure was all over his face.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Ricky said, looking back up at her a moment later. "I never meant to hurt you, Amy. I'm so sorry." An escape escaped from Amy's mouth and a moment later, she reached over to him with both hands. Surprised, Ricky quickly leaned forward so that she wouldn't have to move to meet him. The bond he felt with her that summer they spent together before started was suddenly back and flowing between them as they embraced on the floor in the hallway.

"I'm sorry too," Amy cried as she tightened her arms around him. The two of them sat like that for what seemed like a lifetime, both afraid of letting go and facing the nightmare they were trapped in. Finally, Amy felt Ricky's grip around her lessen and she followed his lead, returning her hand to her stomach as she felt another cramp building.

"Your going to be okay and so isn't our baby," Ricky assured her, feeling like a broken record but not knowing what else to say. While as he wasn't sure he believed it, not when she was bleeding and pregnant, he had to try and stay calm for her sake and their child's. Amy pursed her lips, shaking her head sadly.

"Hey." He tilted her chin up with his finger, forcing her to look up at him. "You have to keep fighting, Amy. You can't give up."

"It hurts," she cried.

"I know it does, but your doing so good. Help'll be here, just hang on." Ricky reached over and took her hand in his, giving it an assuring squeeze before hurried footsteps behind him caught his attention. Looking behind him he saw the receptionist coming back their way with the school nurse in tow. He felt a small sense of relief to see some form of help was coming their way.

"There's the school nurse," Ricky said, moving his body sideways so Amy could see. "She's going to help us."

The school nurse hustled over to them. "Where does it hurt?" she asked, wasting no time as she knelt down beside Amy.

"My stomach. I'm having really bad cramps," Amy explained. The nurse reached over and felt Amy's stomach as Amy continued. "I'm-I'm bleeding too." The nurse stopped and looked down.

"How many weeks are you, Amy?" the nurse asked.

"I-I don't know. Six months," Amy said wincing as, Ricky assumed, another pain shot through her. He squeezed her hand once more, unable to do anything else. "I feel like I'm going to be sick," Amy admitted.

"Is there anything you need me to get?" the receptionist asked the nurse.

"I-I need paper towels and a bucket," she said quickly, her attention never leaving Amy's. "Tell me if this hurts." She began to press down lightly around Amy's stomach.

Amy winced suddenly. "There."

"Hey! What are you doing!?" Ricky said quickly.

"I'm trying to feel for the uterus. Without an ultrasound machine or fetal heart monitor, I'm flying in the dark here," she admitted. "Amy, how's your head?"

"I-I feel a little dizzy." The nurse scowled, feeling Amy's forehead and cheeks with the back of her hand.

"What's her head got to do with anything? It's in her stomach that's giving her trouble," Ricky said.

The nurse turned to Ricky. "Women don't typically bleed after their first trimester. I'm concerned with the amount I'm seeing and I'm checking to make sure she isn't going into shock," she said in a low voice as to try and not alarm Amy.

The receptionist returned once more, panting slightly as she ran over to them and handed the nurse a handful of towels and a vomit bucket from the nurse's room. "Amy, I need you to lay back. Can you do that for me?"

"I-I think so."

As the nurse sprang onto her feet to help Amy move from her position, Ricky popped up from the floor as well and quickly yanked off his sweatshirt before squatting back down. "Here. For her head." Bunching his sweater up into a makeshift pillow, Ricky put it under Amy's head as the nurse helped Amy to lie on her back.

"Ricky?" Amy asked, worry in her voice as she turned her head and looked for him.

"I'm right here. It's okay," he promised, taking a seat beside her once more. Wasting no time, Ricky reached over and recaptured her hand with his and looked down at her, forcing a smile to try and reassure her. God bless her, his heart melted and broke at the same time as she attempted a smile back.

Just then, more footsteps echoed through the empty halls and two paramedics quickly came into view, walking towards them carrying a stretcher and a large medic bag with them. Ricky felt another wave of relief knowing this time, real help was there. The nurse quickly moved out of the way as the medics approached them. Ricky tried to scoot over but felt Amy's grip tighten his hand.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded.

"I'm just moving over a bit. I'm not leaving you, I promise Amy," he said, looking directly at her so as to be sure she understood he meant it.

The world around them seemed to whirl once more for Ricky as the medics began asking Amy questions about her pregnancy, where she hurt, how long she'd been experiencing back pains. He sat there, going back in fourth between looking down at Amy and looking up at the paramedics. Finally, the large older medic announced they were going to be moving her to the stretcher so they could load her into the ambulance, which was parked out front of the school. At this point, Ricky could hear the build up of commotion behind them. He looked back to see a growing crowd begin to form; apparently the other students and faculty had caught onto there being an emergency in the school. Ricky watched a moment as the receptionist, followed by the nurse, standing away with their arms stretched as to prevent people from getting any closer to them. He turned his attention back to Amy as they moved her onto the stretcher, which required him to have to break their hand holding.

"I'm right here," he assured her once more as they lifted the stretcher up and it clicked in its place.

"Alright, let's go," the medic said, signaling in the direction to the nearest door down the hall. With a quick pace, Ricky followed the medics and Amy on the side of the stretcher, assuring her that everything was gong to be alright as they made their way down the hall, out the door and into the sunny February morning. The sun blinded Ricky momentarily and he held up his free hand to block its rays as he kept up with the stretcher. Ahead, he could see the big red ambulance with their town name on the sides and back.

Stepping back, Ricky watched the medics open the large back doors. Amy lifted her head to check on where Ricky was then rested her had back when she saw him standing back, waiting for the medics to load her in. Ricky watched as the two lifted the stretcher up higher and the wheels folded back up under it as they pushed the stretcher inside. As soon as Amy was safely inside, one of the medics lifted himself up into the back with Amy while the other moved to shut the doors.

"Hey, I'm going with her," Ricky said quickly, stepping forward.

"I'm sorry son, I can't let-"

"I'm the father of the baby. I'm not leaving her," he told them, standing his ground.

The medic, not wanting to waste time arguing, nodded and motioned to the back. "Hurry up then." Without needing to be told twice, Ricky climbed into the back, taking a seat beside Amy where the first medic had already begun to work on her while the one outside closed the large doors back up, sealing them safely in the back.

Within seconds, Ricky felt the ambulance pull away from the front of the school. The sirens began and before he knew it they were on the way to the Burbank Health Center. He looked down at Amy and, once more, taking her hand in his.

"We're going to get through this," he promised, sending a silent prayer to God that he would be able to keep his word.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Author's Note: **Didn't get as much feedback for Chapter 2 as I got one. I hope you guys are still interested in this story! Here's another chapter; it's longer than the other's I've written so far (7 pages!). Chapter 4 is only like, 4 pages so… I guess it evens out. Anyways… read on. Enjoy. Leave me some feed back?

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They arrived at the Burbank Health Center ten minutes later, but to Ricky, it felt like an hour later. The entire ride there was the longest, most anxious and nerve wracking trip he had ever experienced. Looking down at Amy helpless and in pain, he couldn't help but feel a stabbing pain of guilt and fear and even more paralyzing, the overwhelming feeling of helplessness. He shuddered, trying not to think of the last time he had felt so helpless and small…

The ambulance pulled up to the front of the hospital and the world around them blurred in fast motion once more. The medics came to the back of the ambulance once more, unloading Amy with Ricky at her side with every step. The automatic hospital doors opened as they approached them and once inside, two nurses and a doctor joined them on their journey deeper into the hospital.

"What's her blood pressure?"

"How many weeks are you?"

"How heavy is the bleeding?"

"How old are you?"

Ricky's mind spun as they asked question after question. Some directed towards Amy and some directed towards the medic who continued to push Amy through the bustling halls of the hospital. His patience was wearing thin; he didn't want them asking anymore questions, he just wanted them to stop the bleeding, stop the pain Amy was having and save the baby. He took a deep breath and looked down at Amy who looked even more helpless and pitiful in the stretcher than he had ever seen her, making his urge to protect her even stronger than it normally was.

"Are Amy and the baby going to be okay?" Ricky asked finally, wanting some answers now that they were at the hospital.

The doctor turned her attention to him for the first time since they had arrived there. "You are?"

"The baby's father," he said defensively. "Are they going to be okay or not?"

"We don't know yet. We have to find out what's going on inside there first," she explained.

"Isn't there anything you can do about her pain until then?" he asked.

"We're doing all that we can," she said simply as they continued their journey, making a few turns here and there as they go.

"M-my mom and dad. Has anyone called to tell them?" Amy asked nervously.

Ricky cursed inwardly. He had been so worried about getting Amy help that he hadn't even though to calling her parents. He could feel his cell phone in his pocket but hadn't even remembered at the time that he even had one.

"We called to notify them before you arrived," the nurse assured her.

Finally, as they barreled towards a teal door ahead, one of the nurses who was pulling the stretcher at Amy's feet, put his hand out and pushed the door opened before the stretcher hit it. The doctor and the medic then switched places as the stretcher disappeared inside the room.

"It's going to be okay," Ricky assured Amy once more as he followed the stretcher in, wishing he had the power to take the pain he saw in her small beautiful face away and onto him. Just then, the other nurse held her hand out, stopping Ricky in his tracks from entering the room.

"What the-"

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow you in here," she said.

"But I-"

"Let us get to work on helping her and the baby. We can't waste anymore time. It'll be better if you wanted out in the waiting room." The nurse looked back over her shoulder for a moment back into the room before returning her attention back to Ricky one last time then disappearing into the room herself, leaving Ricky alone in the hallway with the paramedic slightly ahead of him.

"Hey man, I'm sure they'll be okay," the younger medic said, slowing down his pace so that Ricky could catch up to him. "You did good by getting help as fast as you did."

"Yeah, some help I am," Ricky said, walking along side the medic. "If it wasn't for me, none of this would be happening."

"Maybe so, but you were there for her when she needed you the most." He shrugged. "I think that's worth cutting yourself a break." The medic winked before wishing Ricky luck and heading out the front door. Ricky stood there for a moment and surveyed his surroundings. He was back at the front of the hospital, the check in stations on his left while he could see a sign indicating a waiting room ahead to his right. Feeling for his phone in his pocket, Ricky remembered his parents and decided to give them a call, assuming they hadn't already been notified by the school. Stepping outside for a brief moment, Ricky took a minute to call and let them know what was going on and where he was. Promising to keep them updated, Ricky ended the call and was heading back inside when a worried voice shouted his name. Whirling around, Ricky spotted Amy's mom running up to him from the parking lot.

"Ricky! What's going on? How's Amy? Is she and the baby okay?" Anne asked worriedly, walking up to him while clutching the strap of her purse against her chest. For a moment, Ricky felt nervous and almost shy. He hadn't really officially talked to Amy's mother, let alone talk with her alone. Ricky shoved his hands in his pants pocket and pushed away his nervousness.

"I don't know what's going on, we just got here. They pushed Amy into a room and me out of it," he explained.

"But is it something to do with the baby?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, I think so. She said she was having cramps and…" he trailed off as the memory popped up in his mind.

"And?" Anne prompted.

"She was bleeding. I don't know what that means, but I assume pregnant women aren't supposed to be bleeding down there."

Anne stood there silently for a moment, taking in the news he had given her. After a moment, she glanced over his shoulder, towards the hospital behind him. "We should probably go in there, in case the doctor comes out with any news."

"Yeah, I was heading back in. I came out to call my parents, let them know what happened and that I was here," he explained.

Anne nodded and the two of them walked into the hospital together in silence.

~*~

It wasn't long after Ricky and Anne had taken a seat in the waiting room when George rushed in, looking like he had come straight from work. Ricky had been flipping through an old, outdated magazine absently, bouncing his right leg nervously when George entered the room. He sensed instantly that someone had entered the room and, hoping it was the doctor coming with news, Ricky looked up quickly only to find Amy's dad walking over towards them with a worried look on his face that matched everyone else's.

"What's going on? Have they come out to tell you anything?" he asked Anne, who had stood up from her seat when she caught sight of her husband.

"No, not yet," Anne said.

"Well is it the baby? Did she loose it or something?" George asked, clearly confused.

"We don't know yet, George. All we know is that there's been a complication and now we're here waiting to hear what exactly that means."

George reached up and rubbed his forehead. "I don't get it. Didn't the doctor say at her last checkup that she was healthy and so wasn't the baby? I mean, how could they not have forseen something this big happening?" He snorted. "And they call themselves doctors."

"George, her last appointment was a month ago," she said. "Things can change in a pregnancy. Sometimes they don't always present themselves beforehand. Especially if it's a miscarriage she's having…" she trailed off.

"Wait, doesn't that only happen like before a woman starts to show? Amy's stomach is right out there; she's too far along to be having a miscarriage," George said.

"A woman can miscarry at anytime during her pregnancy," she explained. "It's just the later in her pregnancy that she is when it happens, it gets called a different name."

George looked away and noticed Ricky sitting there. "You. What are you doing here, haven't you done enough?"

Anne looked at her husband in shock before slapping his arm. "George," she said in a warning tone. "You leave him alone. He's been through enough today without you on his case."

"_He's_ been through enough? If it wasn't for him, our Amy wouldn't be in there right now going through God knows what!"

Ricky jumped up from his seat, adrenaline from the day's events kicking in. "You think I don't know that!?" he yelled. "You don't think I don't think that every time I see her in the hallway at school or the look on her face when she passes the music room and doesn't go in 'cause she can't anymore because she's too pregnant to play her instrument?" He paused for a moment. "Well I do, so you can spare me your guilt trip." Without another word, Ricky stormed off out of the waiting room, back out the doors he had gone through both with Amy then with Anne.

Once outside, Ricky spotted a rock on the cement walkway and kicked it, feeling only a little bit better after doing so. Anger coursed through his veins. At George's plain dislike for him but mostly because he knew what George said was right. Had he not just told the medic that less than an hour ago? Everything he touched turned to hell. He wasn't a good guy and he had told Amy that at camp when they had first met. She'd asked him out for coffee, which surprised him because while as he had his fair share of girls who flirted with him, he had never before had a girl approach him and ask him out. He always beat them to it. With Amy, however, it had been different from the start. He had already been dropped off at camp when Amy arrived there, catching his attention immediately. She had been so shy, so lost looking that he couldn't help but want to help her learn the ropes. He had planned on showing her around the camp then going his own way but something about her made him want to stick by her. Mostly he enjoyed her little mannerisms, the rare, sweet smile she'd flash or the way she stuttered when she was nervous.

After spending that first day with her, he had decided to keep his distance; he wasn't the type to date someone or any of the things that came with it and he knew she deserved someone better than himself. Someone less screwed up than he was. However, she surprised him when by the end of the first week; she went up to him and asked him out for coffee. Unable to say not to her and being intrigued by the bold new Amy that had approached him, he had taken her up on her offer. He found himself feeling as if he couldn't get enough of the shy brunette who provoked feelings inside him he hadn't ever felt before.

Before he knew it, it was the last week of camp; some of the kids had left early to get ready for the upcoming school year, including his two cabin mates. Amy had come to his cabin one evening, a board game in hand, asking if he wanted some company. Unable to refuse her, he let her in and things went from there. Without meaning for them to, things had gotten carried away between the two and an innocent kiss (her first she had told him afterwards) had turned into much much more. He realized afterwards that as much as he liked her, she deserved better than what he had to offer and so he pulled away from her for the rest of the time they spent there. He cringed, thinking of how he had turned his attention to one of the more popular girls he had known from the school year before, Karen, and shamelessly flirted with her out in the open purposely, where Amy would see it. He knew by the look on her face that he had hurt her, badly, but he knew it would be best for her if he pushed her far away from the nightmare that was his world.

He sighed, letting the memories of their magical weeks together away at camp ease the worry and anger from his body. His plan to protect her by pushing her away from him had backfired in the biggest way possible. Now he sat outside of a hospital, wishing he had just left her alone in the first place. Had he not intervened in her life, she would never have gotten pregnant and wouldn't be in the hospital this very day in pain, quite possibly by the looks of it loosing the baby neither had wanted or planned. He expected to feel relieved; finally, no more talks of babies or adoptions or child support. He and Amy could go their separate ways and live their lives how they had planned. However, all he felt when he though about the possibility of loosing the baby he and Amy had created, he felt nothing but pain and longing. He'd watched her the past few months at school, watching as her stomach began to round and become more and more noticeable as his child grew bigger and stronger inside her and felt both scared and proud at the same time. Now they may never get a chance to see the baby they'd made together.

It was those troubling thoughts entertaining his mind when, from the corner of his eye, a black vehicle pulled up to the curb not far from where he stood. Looking up from the ground, he watched as the passenger door opened and Grace hopped out. Having spotted him, she headed towards where he stood.

"Are you alright?" Grace asked, flinging herself into his arms. Numbly, Ricky put his arms around her. After a moment, she pulled away and looked up at him. "The entire school is talking about how something happened to the baby and you and Amy were taken away by ambulance," she said. "God, that's so awful. Is she and the baby going to be okay?"

"I don't know. The doctor hasn't come out to tell us anything yet," he said simply.

"Us?" Grace repeated.

"Amy's parent's are here also," he explained.

"Well do you want me to stay? I can keep you company while you wait," she offered.

"Thanks for the offer but I don't know when they're going to know anything. It could be hours before they come out and tell us anything," he said. "Besides, Amy's parents are upset right now and I don't know if they want a lot of people there, y'know?"

Grace nodded. "I understand." She fell silent for a moment. "I guess I'll get back to school then. I called my mom and asked her to bring me over here to see how you all were." She looked over at the vehicle she had jumped out of. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I have my phone with me."

"Okay. Thanks Grace," Ricky said.

Grace forced a smile before leaning up on her tip-toes and giving him a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking back towards the car where her mom waited for her. Ricky waited a moment and watched as Grace got in and a few seconds later, slowly pulled away from the curb.

He sighed, looking up at the sky then over towards the hospital. He stood there for a moment before finally heading back inside to wait for news of Amy and their baby. He wouldn't let her father's anger towards him keep him from being there for her. He promised her he wasn't leaving and he intended on keeping his promise to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Author's Note: **Hi all! *waves* It's Friday, y'know what that means! Another chapter! Finally you all will find out what happens with Amy and their baby. I felt bad, hearing you all worried about what would happen. I had to force myself to remain tight-lipped!I wanted to get this chapter out right away and (hopefully) read some feedback so I didn't gget a chance to e-mail this chapter to my beta reader, my best friend and frister Sarah (You're awesome btw!) so please excuse any typos, grammar issues. I'll go back at some point and correct them!

* * *

The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence in the waiting room with Anne sitting between the two men as they anxiously awaited news of Amy and the baby. Trying to remain positive, Ricky attempted to keep his mind off the current situation by reading a magazine with no luck. Every time someone in the room entered or exited, he'd instantly look up; hoping it was the doctor with hews. He bounced his leg impatiently, feeling as if someone heavy was weighing down on his chest as the minutes ticked by without word of how Amy was doing. He discarded the magazine, giving up on any attempts to preoccupy himself when Anne grabbed her purse on the side of her and stood up.

"I'm going to get some coffee. I'll be right back," she explained.

Needing something to do other than sit around anxiously, Ricky jumped at the chance presented to him. "It's okay Mrs. Juergens; I'll get it for you." He stood up quickly before Anne could talk him out of it. Looking over at George, Ricky risked the temporary truce the two men had settled on and asked, "Can I get you anything while I'm up, Mr. Juergens?"

George looked at Ricky for a brief moment before turning his gaze away. "I'm fine," George grumbled, waving his hand.

Ricky nodded and with that, headed out of the small waiting room trying to remember if the vending machine down the hall offered coffee or if he'd have to go down to the cafeteria to get it. He hoped not, he didn't want to be too far away in case a doctor or nurse came in with news. To his relief, he spotted the large machine propped up against the wall down the hall and quickened his pace over to it.

"Damnitt," he muttered under his breath when he walked over to it only to realize it wasn't one that served coffee. He gave the machine a good smack in frustration before finally leaning against it with one hand, looking down to the ground as he debated whether or not he wanted to venture down to the cafeteria for the coffee.

"Ricky?"

His head snapped up only to find Amy's mother walking over to him and the machine. His gaze then flickered past Anne, wondering if in the short time he had ducked out of the waiting room news had come.

"Did the doctor come in?" he asked, his pulse jumping at the thought as he pushed away from the machine. _Here it comes_, he thought, bracing himself for the news.

Anne shook her head. "No, not yet. I just wanted to apologize to you for my husband's behavior," she clarified. "He had no right to talk to you like that."

Ricky shrugged. "It's okay. It's not like he wasn't right." He pushed his hands into his jeans pocket.

"Still, it's not his place to put all the blame onto you. It takes two to make a baby." She chuckled. "I think sometimes he forgets that." She waited until she caught his gaze before continuing. "You're not the bad guy here, Ricky. We just haven't gotten the chance to get to know you To George… you're the guy who got his daughter into trouble. But I want you to know that we don't all feel the same way George does."

"But I _am_ the guy who got your daughter into trouble," Ricky said. "Your husband was right; if I hadn't touched her, none of this would be happening. There'd be no baby, no hospital emergency." He paused, raking a hand through his hair in frustration at himself as he attempted to remain calm. "Amy didn't deserve this. She deserves go through high school like every other girl, not walk around her first year pregnant by some messed up jerk."

Anne stood there silently and studied him for a moment, making Ricky feel uncomfortable. His gaze darted back to the ground as he waited for Amy's mother to change her mind and agree with her husband. To see just how damaged he was. To turn against him like everyone else.

Before either could speak another word, George called to them from in front of the waiting room. Both Ricky and Anne looked over to see a tall, older man in a white coat standing beside him with a clipboard in his hand. They looked back at one another quickly before rushing back over towards the waiting room.

"This is her mother, Anne," George said to the doctor, motioning towards Anne. The doctor politely shook her hand. "And this is... the baby's father," he forced out, flicking a glance in Ricky's direction. Ricky ignored Amy's father and extended his hand out, shaking the doctors hand as well, eager to hear the news they had all been waiting for.

"I'm Ricky," Ricky said, shaking the older gentleman's hand. "How's Amy, is she going to be okay?" he asked, unable to wait any longer. His heart rate accelerated as he braced himself for the news.

"She will be. She's in recovery right now," the doctor confirmed. The three sighed in relief and Ricky felt as if a gigantic weight had been lifted from his chest; Amy was going to be okay. "We were able to stop the bleeding before she went into shock. Ah, like I said, she's in stable condition and resting right now."

"I don't understand what happened," Anne said. "Did she miscarry the baby?"

"No no no. Amy had what's called a Placental Abruption. It's not a common condition; it happens in about on in two hundred pregnancies. What happens is that the placenta, which contains the growing fetus, breaks away either partially or completely from the uterine wall," the doctor explained. "In Amy's case, by the time we got her in here, the placenta was only partially separated from the uterus. Being as Amy is only around twenty-three weeks along in her pregnancy we decided to give her some medication to speed the development of the baby's lungs just in case while she gives her body time to heal. With her being only sixteen, the baby faces the risk of being premature as it is; we want to keep him in there as long as we can to insure he develops enough to come out strong and healthy. With this added complication, we would like for Amy to be admitted here into the hospital for a week so that we can monitor both she and the baby. After that, I suggest she go under bed rest until we see the placenta has re attached itself and everything is as it should be. Of coarse it goes without saying Amy should take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy, just to be safe."

"So both Amy and the baby are going to be okay?" Anne asked.

"As long as we're able to keep the placenta from tearing away any farther and the baby doesn't become distressed. If that happens, we face the real possibility of having to deliver the baby early. We'd like to keep him in there at least another ten weeks to be sure he's developed enough to survive outside of Amy without any major complications."

Ricky was in the process of digesting all the doctor had just told them when one word suddenly stuck out. "Wait, a boy? You said the baby was a boy?"

The doctored looked from Ricky over to Anne and George, taking in their surprised expressions. "I'm sorry. Did you not know?"

"No we didn't. Amy actually had a doctor's appointment for later on in the week," Anne explained as Ricky stood there dumbfounded. "We were told it would be a possibility we'd be able to find out what the baby's sex was, but then this happened…"

"I apologize. I assumed you knew already," the doctor said.

"When can we go in and see her?" Anne asked.

"Shortly. Right now we're getting her settled into a room and you can see her after that," he explained. "I also need you to fill out some paperwork, for insurance purposes." He raised the clipboard up and handed it to Anne.

"Of coarse. Thank you, doctor," she said.

"Yes, thank you. So much," Ricky said, extending his hand to the doctor once more. The doctor promised once more they'd be able to go in to see Amy shortly and with that, disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

"Thank god she didn't loose the baby," George said, relief evident in his voice. Anne nodded, feeling thankful herself. She looked down at the paperwork attached to the clipboard and sighed before looking over at Ricky.

"Ricky, you okay?" she asked.

"A son," he said, unable to wrap his mind around the notion. Of coarse it had always been a possibility, but he was just told, with absolute certainty, that he was having a boy and everything was different now. He looked up at Anne and a wide grin spread across his face. "We're having a son."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Author's Note:** Hi guys! *wave* I am so sorry for taking so long to post this chapter! I am having some really big writer's block and I can't for the life of me figure out what I want to do from this chapter on. I'm really struggling. I'm hurrying up and putting this chapter up without it having been edited so ignore the grammar/typos. I just wanted to get it to you guys; I'll get it edited later.

If you guys have any ideas on where to go from here, please don't hesitate to e-mail me or mention something in a review! I'm trying real hard to continue forward with this story but I'm really having trouble! Any help would be more than appreciated and could make the difference between a new chapter in another week versus six months down the road from now.

Anyways, so here's chapter 5. There is some Ricky/Amy sweetness; I really like how this chapter turned out and I hope you guys do too!

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Sitting upright in the uncomfortable twin-size hospital bed, Amy looked down at the hospital bracelet the nurse put on only moments ago. In small blue letters was her whole name, date of birth and other information she both recognized and didn't. When the nurse entered the small single-bedded room they had put her in, she had explained to Amy that she was to be admitted into the hospital and remain there until the weekend so they could closely monitor both hers and the baby's vitals.

Thinking of how close she had come to loosing the baby inside her, Amy shifted her attention from the medical bracelet to her swollen stomach, where her baby remained safely. Rubbing her stomach carefully, Amy sent silent thanks up to whatever higher power had been responsible for keeping her baby safe. Never before had Amy been so scared in her life until earlier that day, both when she lay there on the floor of the school hallway with Ricky by her side or afterward, when they wheeled her into emergency and kicked Ricky out, leaving her in there alone as the doctors and nurses fought to save their baby. Amy closed her eyes, blocking out the memories. Both she and the baby were going to be okay, she needed to remember that and focus on getting better.

A sudden knock on the door brought Amy back from the scary memories of earlier in the day. Happy to push them from her mind, Amy turned her attention towards the door and was about to call out for whomever was on the other side to come in when the door creaked open and her parents came into view. Tears instantly formed in her eyes and she wished more than anything she could jump out of the bed and run into the safety of her parent's arms. Knowing she needed to limit her movement in order to allow her body to heal the damage, Amy remained in the bed quietly, not trusting herself to speak as tears began to roll down her face.

"Oh baby, don't cry; its okay," George said, instantly noticing Amy's tears. He took her shaky hand in his as he gingerly sat down on the edge of the hospital bed as Anne stood closely beside the hospital bed. "Ames…"

Amy looked at her father, then up at her mother. "I thought I was going to loose the baby," she cried, unable to hold her composure any longer. "I was so scared!"

"Your okay now sweetheart," Anne assured her as she bent down and carefully hugged her. "And so isn't the baby. You're both going to be okay." Amy lost herself in her mothers embrace, wishing she could be a little girl again. She felt her father's strong hand gently rubbing her back as her mother held her and for a moment, she pretended she was.

After a few moments, the two broke off their hug. Feeling self conscious, Amy's gaze shifted to her lap as she tried to wipe away all evidence of her crying snap. Anne reached over to the end table on the other side of the bed and grabbed the small generic box of tissues they had out there and handed them to Amy.

"Thanks," Amy said, taking a tissue from the box and began wiping away the tears from her face.

"Did the doctors already come in and explain why they want you to stay in here for the week?" Anne asked.

Amy nodded. "They said they wanted to monitor me and the baby's heart rate and stuff." She tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Your father and I will bring you up some of your stuff," Anne promised. "Clothes, your pillow, any books you might want, your iPod…"

"Thanks mom."

"You just worry about resting," George said. "We want to make sure that baby grows healthy and strong in there."George placed a hand on Amy's stomach and rubbed it lovingly. Amy smiled and looked down at her stomach. "Anything you need, you let one of us know and we'll get it for you, okay Ames?"

"Okay dad," she promised.

Just then, a sound from the doorway caught everyone's attention. Amy, George and Anne all looked up and over towards the doorway to where Ricky stood, a worried expression on his face as he tried to stay in the background and out of the way.

"I didn't want to interrupt. I just wanted to see how you were," he explained quickly. "I should go…"

"Ricky wait," Anne said, catching him as he turned to leave. She looked over at George. "Why don't you and I go work on that stack of paperwork?" she suggested. George looked over at Amy, then back at Anne; opening his mouth to protest. "Come on George," Anne said, reaching over and grabbing her husband's arm to help him up from the bed. "There'll be plenty of time to visit with Amy. We'll be back in a little while and she still needs to get some rest."

"Take care pumpkin; we'll be back in a bit," he promised, dropping a quick kiss in her forehead before getting up, grumbling as he did so.

"I love you, Amy," Anne said to her, kissing her on the forehead as well before turning back to George. "C'mon…" She nudged his arm, pushing him towards the door.

"I'm going, I'm going," he said. "Jeez." He muttered some more as the two of them walked over towards the door. He shot a glance over at Ricky but continued on until both Anne and George were out of sight.

Ricky stood there in the doorway for a moment, hands in his pockets and looking out of place. Amy would have laughed at the view in front of her if not for the uncertainly of inflicting any pain in her midsection by doing so; cocky Ricky Underwood, looking shy and out of place. Instead, she settled for a smile.

"You can come in, y'know," she said shyly, placing her hands in her lap as she sat upright in the bed still. Despite the days' events, she felt a sense of calm edging into her. Perhaps it had been from all the crying and worrying done and was finally making its effects known, Amy thought to herself. She watched as Ricky hesitantly looked behind him, then back into the room before finally making a move to go in.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he apologized as he walked over to the side of the bed.

"It's okay," Amy assured him. "They're not actually leaving just yet. And I'm sure they'll be back later with Ashley."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Amy shrugged. "I'm okay now. They gave me something to help with the pain, something that won't hurt the baby. Hopefully everything will fix itself and the baby won't come out early." She looked down at her stomach once more, resting her hand on the top of it. When Amy looked back up at him, she noticed his gaze had followed hers down to her stomach where their child grew; he looked almost mesmerized by the sight of her growing belly underneath the hospital gown she had been put into not long ago.

"That's good," Ricky said, looking relieved. "I'm glad your okay. You and the baby both."

"Me too," Amy said.

"Is there anything I can get you? Something to drink? Another pillow?"

Amy smiled. "I think I'm okay for now. My parents are going to bring me a few things from home later on," she explained. "Hopefully that'll help make the next week go by faster."

"It sounds like your going to be on bed rest for a little longer than a week," Ricky said.

"Well they didn't give me an exact timeframe. They just want me to rest so that things can heal," Amy explained. "Hopefully that won't take too long. I can't stand sitting around, not doing anything."

Ricky smiled. "Good to know." The two fell silent; Ricky stood at her bedside, making sure there was at least some distance between the two of them. With his hands jammed into his front jeans pocket and his gaze drifting around the room, Amy couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Funny, she was the one who almost lost the baby inside her and yet, she felt sorry for the guy who had put it there in the first place. The guy who, up until earlier that day, she viewed as the bad guy despite knowing differently deep down. She thought back to earlier that day; the look on his face was most likely one resembling the look she had had on her own face and yet, he remained there by her side the entire time – even riding with her to the hospital, holding her hand the entire way. The memory alone brought back a tingling sensation on her hand as she looked down at the hand he had held. It had been the same tingling sensation; much like a spark of energy she had felt when he had first touched her months ago at camp...

"I-I'm sorry I got kind of freaked out back at school," Ricky said, breaking the silence and bringing her back to the present. "When I saw you fall, I was so scared… and then after, when you held up your hand and there was blood…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, me too," Amy admitted, shivering at the thought of the blood on her hands, remembering the sense of panic and dread that had shot through her when she first felt the familiar dampness in her underwear then discovering it was real. She shook her head, hoping to shake the grim memories from her mind.

"I'm just glad I saw you in the hallway," Ricky said. "You really scared me when you dropped to the ground like that," he admitted. Amy looked up at him, unsure of what to say in response to his confession. The times that Ricky let his guard down long enough to be honest were few and far between; something she hadn't seen much of the pat few months. Of course, pushing him away didn't help matter… Before Amy could form a response, Ricky had already made a move to change the subject to one less heavy.

"Did the doctor tell you what the baby was?"

Amy frowned then shook her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"They found out what the baby was while they were doing… whatever it was they were doing earlier," he explained. "They assumed we already knew since I guess you're far enough along and most women find out around this time." He shrugged.

Amy bit her lip, feeling guilty suddenly. She recalled the conversation she had had with her mother just that morning, how it would be possible to find out and that maybe she should tell Ricky about her appointment. The guilt washed over; she had promised her mother she'd tell him about her appointment if she saw him but really, she hadn't planned on telling him at all.

"I ah… I actually had an appointment scheduled this week. They said if the baby let us, we cold find out the sex if I wanted to," she admitted.

"Oh," Ricky said simply. "That would make sense then that they saw what the baby was."He paused. "Do you want me to tell you or do you want it to be a surprise?" he asked.

Amy looked down at her stomach, rubbing it once as she thought about it. "I-I don't know. I mean, I knew there was a possibility they'd be able to tell at my appointment but I guess I didn't really think about it. Then this happened…"

"It's okay, you don't have to know right now," Ricky said. "You still have time to decide if you want to know or not. I'm not even sure I would have wanted to know but the doctors just kind of blurted it out, so..." He shrugged. "If you don't want to know just yet, I would let your mom and dad know as well as the doctors so they don't slip up and spoil it for you."

She nodded once. "Okay. Thanks for giving me a heads up."

Ricky smiled and nodded. "No problem."

Just as another awkward silence was settling in between them, a nurse walked into the room with a clip board in her hand and a stethoscope around her neck.

"Hi Amy, my name is Beth. I'm your nurse until the evening shift change," she explained, walking over towards the bed. "How're you feeling sweetie?"

"I'm okay."

"Your stomach feel a little tender?" she asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah a little."

"Any back or abdominal pain in the past half hour?"

"No."

"Good," Beth said, a smile on her face as she jotted some notes down on the clipboard. "That's really great to hear." She walked over to the other side of the bed, the side closest to the far wall where the monitors sat. She studied one of them, pushing a button or two before jotting something else down.

"What is that?" Ricky asked, watching the nurse's every move.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Well this here is the monitor attached to Amy's stomach; it's monitoring the baby's heart rate and other stats so we'll know right away if the vitals are dropping."

"I thought everything was going to be okay," he said worriedly.

"Everything's looking great so far. We monitor the fetus' vitals just as a precaution." She paused, looking at Ricky. "You must be Dad?"

Ricky looked taken back at being called that name but recovered quick enough to nod. "Yeah."

"Don't you worry, your baby's doing just fine," she assured him. She looked down at Amy to include her. "You see this line right here?" She pointed to the large green line in between two others. "That one tells me the baby's heart rate, which looks completely normal.

"I wouldn't worry; the two of you have a strong baby inside there." Amy smiled, looking down at her belly and then over at Ricky, whose face had broken into a large smile of his own. Amy returned her attention to the nurse once more who flipped through a few papers before looking back up.

"Oh um, Amy doesn't think she wants to know what the baby is just yet," Ricky explained. "I told her she should let you guys know so that you don't slip up and say what the baby is, since you guys already know."

The nurse flashed a smile. "Good idea. I'll make a note in her charts so that we'll be able to see that right away."

"We'd appreciate that," Ricky said.

"Okay. That's all I needed. I'll let you and your boyfriend have some time alone. If you need anything, just push the red button at the top right there." Beth pointed to the remote looking thing attached to a thick wire lying on the side of Amy's bed.

"Oh, h-he's not-" Amy began, feeling heat rising to her cheeks.

"Thank you," Ricky said, shaking the nurse's hand as she went past him. Amy slammed her mouth shut as she sat back in the bed. Again, she felt guilty.

"I guess I should get going," Ricky said as soon as the nurse disappeared from the room. "I told my foster parents I'd let them know once we heard something and I haven't had a chance to call them so..."

"They know what happened?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure the school would have called to let them know I rode here with you, but I called them while I was out in the waiting room before your parents got here," he explained. "I figured they'd probably want to know about the baby… and you of coarse."

"Oh," Amy said simply.

"I'm not planning on going back to school today, so if there's anything you need, I have my cell phone on me," he told her, patting his pocket for emphasis. "Don't hesitate to call. Really."

"Okay, thanks," Amy said.

"Would you like the number now?" he asked, a small grin slowly spreading across his face. It took Amy a second to catch up with what he meant. Then it hit her: their first sit down after she had found out she was pregnant, he had wanted her to call him and give him updates. When he asked if she wanted to exchange numbers, she had told him she could find it on her own if and when she needed it. Frustration and annoyance with Ricky had prompted her to act that way, although she never got around to actually hunting for his number.

"Um, sure. Okay." She watched his grin widen; his attention going from her face to the floor as he felt around in his pockets.

"I don't have any paper or anything," he said, moving onto his back pockets as he scanned the room. "Crap."

Amy looked around the room, hoping to find a discarded piece of paper to use. Anything for that matter would work. She looked down at her lap as she thought for a moment before noticing her hand. "What about my hand?"

Ricky thought about it for a second, looking from her raised hand to her face. "I guess that'll work. I feel kind of weird writing on your hand though while you're in the hospital. I don't want to get you in trouble or anything."

Amy laughed. "I don't think anyone's going to be paying much attention to my hand," she said. "When my mom comes back in, I'll have her get me some paper to write it down on so I won't loose it when I wash my hands."

"Okay," Ricky said, walking over closer to the bed. "It's a good thing I had a pen in my pocket or we'd really be screwed." Amy smiled as she held her hand out with her palm facing down. Taking her hand into his, Ricky carefully turned it over so her palm was facing upwards. "Just in case they need the top of your hand for a medical thing," he explained.

Amy felt her heart rate pick up as he cradled her hand in his as he used his other to carefully print his number onto the inside of her hand. Feeling as if time had suddenly slowed down, Amy forced herself to swallow in an attempt to calm the effects Ricky seemed to be having on her body. As he stood bent down close to her, focused at the task at hand, she could smell the faint traces of his cologne; a scent she had spent months trying to forget. She could feel her head begin to swim and she knew for certain it wasn't any type of side effects of what she had been given while in the hospital. Suddenly she felt warm, like her entire body was on fire – not just the hand of hers that was resting in his.

As if he sensed the effect he was having on her, Ricky looked up from her hand; flashing his trademark grin. "There. Now you finally have my number. That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked, still bent and holding her hand.

For a moment, Amy wasn't able to find her voice to respond. She forced a shy smile, swallowing once more. "Yeah…" she said simply, at a loss for words as she looked down at her hand and flexed it partway closed. There in the palm of her hand, written in black ink, was Ricky's cell phone number. Even when he let go of her hand and stood up straight, she still felt where it had been covering her own, as if he left a lasting imprint of his hand in hers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Author's Note: **My sincere apologies for taking SO long to update!I'm in another one of myinfamous writing ruts, but I'm trying my hardest to finish this fic for you guys! So here is the next chapter; if you guys have any plot suggestions or ideas, please feel free to let me know! It most certainly couldn't hurt things and it may just help me to finish faster, if I had some 'fresh' ideas! ;)

* * *

"I was so worried when I got back to school and found out what happened," Ben said, leaning forward in his seat towards the hospital bed Amy lay in. Amy had been laying back and resting for a bit while her parents left to get her some things from home and pick up her sister when Ben rushed into her hospital room, shocked and panicked. The last half hour had consisted of her assuring Ben she and the baby were both going to be okay while he asked if she needed anything every twenty minutes or so.

"I'm sorry I didn't think to call you sooner," Amy admitted, feeling bad that Ben hadn't crossed her mind once, not even after Ricky and her parents had left and she sat there bored and lonesome, flipping through the channels of the small TV in her room aimlessly when she was supposed to be resting.

"I'm just glad your both okay," Ben said once more, taking her hand in his and squeezing lightly. Amy forced a smile his way before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with her free hand. Ben's face went from warm and loving to confused and curious in an instant.

"What's that?" he asked.

"What's what?" Amy said, looking around to see what he was talking about as Ben reached over and caught her other hand. Amy felt her heart skip a beat, realizing what Ben was talking about before even looking down. Feeling guilty that she felt guilty in the first place, Amy pulled her hand out of Ben's grasp and hid it beside her. "Oh. I-I-I.." she stammered, trying to decide on what to say. She wasn't a fan of lying and the thought of lying to Ben didn't sit with her any better. On the other hand, she could only imagine his reaction knowing who the number belonged to.

"It's um, its Ricky's number," Amy admitted weakly. "H-He didn't have any paper to write it on a-a-and he wanted me to have his number i-i-i-n case something came up," she quickly explained, fully realizing that she was stuttering as she spoke.

"Ricky's. Oh," he said, trying to sound dismissive about it. "I didn't know Ricky had been here already."

"He ah, he was the one who found me at school," Amy said, thrusting a hand through her hair nervously.

"Of course he was," Ben muttered, annoyance clear in his tone as he rolled his eyes upward.

Amy looked over at him, unable to believe the tone in his voice she was picking up on. "What?" The concern in both his voice and face was now a thing of the past, replaced with annoyance and jealousy.

Ben looked up and, as if catching himself, quickly tried to backpedal. "I-"

Before either could say another word, a knock sounded on the room's door, diverting both of their attentions over towards it.

"Look at who we found downstairs," George said smiling as he entered the room, others trailing behind him. Amy smiled politely as Ben's father, Leo Boykeovich, entered her hospital room with a smile on his face and a balloon.

"Hi Mr. Boykeovich," Amy said, sitting up a little straighter on the hospital bed, ignoring Ben's feeble attempts to help her; trying hard to push the irritation she was beginning to feel towards Ben away.

"I thought you might like something to spruce your hospital room up with during your stay," he explained, walking over to the side of her hospital bed and tying the string around a bar on the side of the bed frame.

"Thank you."

"I-I would have gotten you something as well but I wanted to come right up and see how you were," Ben said quickly, as if to defend his actions.

Amy forced a smile. "That's okay Ben, I'm glad you came up."

"We brought you some of your things from home," Anne said, looking over at Ashley and then back over towards Amy. "We didn't know what you'd want, so if there's something you missed, let us know." Anne handed Amy the bag. Amy's attention shifted over towards her unusually quiet sister, who stood behind their mother with a somber look on her face.

"Thanks," she said, placing the bag in her lap. "But I'm hoping I won't be in here for too long."

"At least a week," Anne said. "Then after that, I expect there to be some at home bed rest in your future."

Amy sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just want things to go back to normal," she said softly. "Or at least as 'back to normal' as things can get…" She looked out towards the one window she had as the room fell silent.

"They will, Amy. You just need to give it time," Anne assured her. "Give your body time to heal itself and your child time to grow healthy and strong. We'll deal with the other stuff when the time comes."

"If you need anything, anything at all, be sure to let myself or Benjamin here know. We'll be happy to help in any way we can," Leo offered, both to Amy and her parents.

"Thanks Mr. Boykeovich," Amy said. She hadn't even gotten the sentence out completely before a yawn suddenly escaped from her lips. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."

"No need to apologize Amy; with the kind of day you've had, it's to be expected," Leo said. "We should probably let you and that baby rest." He looked over at Ben. "C'mon Benjamin. Let's give Amy some time alone with her family."

"Bu- I- we just got here," Ben protested.

"There's plenty of time to visit your Amy tomorrow. After school."

Reluctantly, Ben looked over at Amy, taking her hand into his. "I'll see you tomorrow then, I guess."

"I'd like that," Amy said.

Ben smiled before leaning over and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Amy felt heat rise to her cheeks, knowing her family and his father were all in the same room, watching them. For some odd reason, she felt embarrassed to kiss Ben in front of her family and his father. He smiled down at her once more before standing up from his seat beside her and walking over towards the door.

"Have a good night," Ben said. "I love you."

Amy forced a smile, uncomfortable with the public display of affections that was happening. "You too," she answered back.

"How're you feeling?" Anne asked a moment later, once Ben and Leo left the room, leaving the family alone together.

Amy shrugged, looking down at the bump under the thin blankets. "Okay I guess."

"Y'know, I can stay here with you tonight if you want," Anne offered. "I know you don't like hospitals."

"It's okay," Amy said. "I'm so tired, I don't think it's going to matter who's here and who isn't."

Anne nodded. "Well, we'll still be here for a little while; if you change your mind, just let me know."

"Thanks mom." She looked over and noticed the obvious distance that was still between herself and her sister. "Hey Ash."

Ashley looked up at Amy. "Hey."

"Are you hungry, Ames? Because I'm starving. I think I'm going to take a walk down to the cafeteria and see what they've got down there. You want anything?" George asked, trying to hide how out of place he felt there Amy guessed. As much as she loved her father, he was never one to feel at ease in stressful situations.

Amy shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

He turned towards Anne. "You want anything?"

"I'm good," she told him. "I think I'm going to go try to track down whichever doctor's on call. I want to talk to them before they change shifts for the evening," she explained. She looked from Amy to Ashley. "We'll be right back. Are you two gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Amy assured them.

"I'll be right back, just as soon as I can find someone. You're father will have his cell phone on and with him if you need anything."

"Mom… I have nurses popping in every half hour or so and a call button to push if I need anything. I'm okay," Amy assured her mother. A few seconds and a worried look later, George and Anne reluctantly left Amy and Ashley.

"So…" Amy said, breaking the awkward silence that had filled her room. She sensed something was up with her sister, but as usual, she couldn't quite put a finger on it; Ashley was too good at keeping her guard up and people away.

"So," Ashley said back, her voice lacking the strong enthusiasm and purpose as it normally did. Another odd thing Amy noticed; her sister hadn't stepped any closer towards her or the hospital bed she sat in since she walked in.

"Ashley? Is everything okay?"

"You're the one lying in a hospital bed after almost loosing your baby and you ask if _I'm _okay?" she asked, her head snapping up towards Amy. "And no, everything _isn't_ okay." She took two steps towards the bed and ended up right beside it. "It's not okay that my sister is lying in the hospital after almost dying along with my niece or nephew at fifteen years old."

"Ash-"

"I'm not done yet!" Ashley interrupted, clearly on a role. "I mean, do you know how I felt when I was called out of my class to be told my sister was in the hospital and nobody knew what was going on?" She paused; reaching out, she took her sister's hand and squeezed it.

"I know… I know we're not always close or get along, Amy, but I can't imagine my life without you. And the baby… I-I know you don't want him or her, but it's still a part of you. A part of us all. It didn't ask to come into this mess." The room fell silent; the truth of her sister's words lying heavily above and around her. She didn't want the baby; she made no secret of that from the start. It wasn't until earlier, when she was faced with the real idea of the life inside her no longer existing, when she realized just how sad she'd be if anything happened to him or her.

"Are you guys going to be okay?" Ashley asked, her voice sounding a little more composed than moments before. It was a rare event to see her sister's emotions so close to the surface as they'd been moments before; she was used to Ashley being the strong one, the dependable one of the two. Her sister's break of emotions only reminded her of the severity of the day's events.

Amy nodded. "I um, I just need to take it easy for a few weeks. Some of which will be spent here, the rest at home. Everything should fix itself they said."

"Good. That's good."

"Yeah. It is."


End file.
